Fallen Kingdom

Chapter I - pt.2

Anxious for answers, Roaan followed Maggie through the village, her stomach aching, until they reached the outskirts where the stone path faded into the dirt and a small cottage sat beside a stable. She wondered why Maggie lived so far from the rest of the villagers as they walked through the front gate, but then she noticed a man with a little girl raking hay. They both turned their heads at the sound of the gate closing, and the man did a double-take while the girl ran over and hugged Roaan, jumping in excitement.

"Roaan! Roaan! You came home! I thought you left us forever!" she said joyously.

"Eedee, sweetheart, let her go. Roaan is... not feeling like herself at the moment," Maggie said gently to the little girl.

"What's going on?" the man asked as he approached, staring at Roaan. "By God..." he said incredulously, "I thought you fled during Cersei's siege?"

Roaan looked at Maggie, not knowing what he meant, but she suddenly became aware that whoever she was, she was part of what was going on in this kingdom. Clearly, this was where she lived. She hadn't expected to be welcomed when she arrived, but there was a family that knew her. That cared about her. They can help me remember who I am, she thought to herself. So she decided to trust them.

"Come inside," Maggie told them, and she explained what she learned to the others- her husband, Tommy, and her daughter, Eedee. They sat in the kitchen and Tommy offered Roaan some water from their well outside. She smiled, accepting their hospitality.

"Excuse me, but I have to ask. Who is Cersei?" Roaan frowned.

"Cersei is the eldest child of the royal family," Tommy explained.

"Long ago, it had been thought that the Queen was infertile, but the royal family needed an heir. So the King had a baby with his mistress, and Cersei was born. She was promised the crown, but a few years later, everyone was shocked because Her Majesty had a daughter," Maggie said nervously, glancing at Roaan. "Eventually our neighboring kingdoms cast her out because she wasn't pure royal blood, which made Euphoria- our kingdom- look weak to them, so the King took away her birthright," she said gently. "Long story short, the true heir became the princess when she was born."

"One girl did all of this?" Roaan asked in disbelief. "Who's the new heiress?"

Maggie bit her lip and stared at her. "There's really no other way to put this... You're the princess, Roaan. Cersei is your half-sister."

"Me? All of this is happening because of me?"

"No," she assured her, "None of this is your fault. The laws are the laws. It's just the way the world works. Cersei snapped because your father did his duty, and now we have to pay the price for her anger."

"I can't believe this... B-but how did she erase my memory?"

"No one knows where she went after she left Euphoria a year ago. But she had to have meddled with dark magic, that's the only way she could be capable of all this destruction," Maggie shook her head. "When she showed her face yesterday, for the first time since she left... it was different."

Eedee frowned, glued to Roaan's side. Her eyes glistened. "I remember when Cersei used to play with us... she's your family, shouldn't she be happy for you?"

No one spoke. How could one explain to a child that sometimes family is merely blood? Roaan wondered about Cersei, the sister she just learned about, and she began to feel sympathy for her. How much pain was this girl in that she sought vengeance by destroying a village? By hurting so many others?

"So I'm the princess," Roaan said, trying to strike her memory. She suddenly remembered the mention of a siege. "Where are my parents...? The King and Queen?"

They didn't answer her, and she began to panic. She had yet to meet the rest of her family, but it struck her that they may have suffered the same fate as some of the villagers. Eedee was instructed to leave the room before Tommy set his hand on top of Maggie's and gently spoke.

"Their Majesties are being held captive in the castle. Cersei is using your parents as a ransom to try and get you to come back so she can... so she can take back the crown," Tommy swallowed.

Roaan's eyes widened in fear. "Then what am I doing here!?" She sprung up from her seat and headed for the door before she even knew what she was doing. "I have to go save them!"

"Your highness," Tommy stopped her abruptly, grabbing her arm. He looked into her eyes. "You can't go to the castle."

"Why?"

"If you go back now... Cersei will kill you."